SHREWSBURY, Mass. — Shrewsbury’s Brian Boisvert, 20, just completed his first marathon, and some say it was something he was born to do.

Brian was almost born on the starting line of the 1992 Boston Marathon in Hopkinton.

His mother, Maribeth Boisvert, was living in an apartment near the starting line and went to see the first waves of runners take off. “I was overdue with Brian, and I said, ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if something happened.’ And it did. We could hear the (starting) gun go off, and within minutes, my water broke,” she said.

She got to Union Hospital thanks, in part, to a friend who is a Hopkinton police officer. The television in the delivery room was showing a live broadcast of the marathon. The first runner crossed the finish line at 2:15 p.m.; Brian arrived at 3 p.m.

“Jokingly, we always called (Brian) the ‘marathon man,’” Maribeth said. “But he has not been a runner his whole life.”

Brian, tall and lanky, started swimming during his senior year at Shrewsbury High School. From there, he started participating in triathlons while attending UMass-Amherst.

While interning in New York City, Brian signed up for the New York City Marathon, his first ever. But those plans were dashed by Hurricane Sandy, which devastated much of the outer boroughs and led to the marathon’s cancellation.

Brian, who had been training hard despite an injured knee, started researching alternatives. “He's very persistent in what he wants,” said Maribeth.

Brian found a race that was being held the same day that New York had been scheduled. He ran Nov. 4 in the Manchester City Marathon in New Hampshire, with his family cheering him on. Brian finished in 3 hours, 14 minutes, about an hour quicker than he expected.

With Manchester done, Brian said he’s looking to new opportunities. He will soon be studying abroad and said he may run in the Paris Marathon.

He said he looked to his mother, his “guiding light,” as his inspiration, as well as his little sister, Mariah, who is competing Saturday with the Shrewsbury Girls Cross Country team for the state championship.